Continental divide? Building the Fishery Bridge from New England to Alaska – Sharing concerns for fisheries

Fishermen from Gloucester and Alaska fish drastically different areas during different times of the year, but one thing is for certain: They’re all in the same boat when it comes to defending and protecting an industry under siege from many sides. That was one of the messages echoed Friday when Katherine Carscallen, captain of the fishing vessel Sea Hawk based out of Dillingham, Alaska, met with Gloucester fishermen and supporters of the commercial fishermen at a get-together organized by Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association President Angela Sanfilippo. Read more here

NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?

While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here